Bangladesh’s position in the Global Peace Index has slipped to 105, from last year’s 91, according to the index, prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace, which ranks 162 countries, by measuring security in society, extent of conflict, and degree of militarisation. But Bangladesh is in a better position than India, Pakistan and Myanmar. India is ranked at 141th position. In the previous year, its position was 142th. Pakistan has slipped to 157th position, from previous year’s 149, Sri Lanka has slipped to 110th position, from previous year’s 103rd, and Myanmar has slipped one notch to 140.
Despite financial turmoil of recent years, Iceland has topped the list, thanks largely to its political stability, low homicide rate, and small prison population. The top of the list was littered with Western European nations that have long been peaceful; Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Belgium all made it to the top 10. In the 6th place, with stringent laws on possession of firearms and good neighbourly relations, is Japan.
At the other extreme, Afghanistan continues to languish in 162nd position, despite a drop in the number of people killed as a result of internal conflict, refugees and displaced people.
The country fared particularly badly on the ‘political terror scale’—an indicator that uses Amnesty International and the US Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, to evaluate levels of political violence and terror.
Somalia narrowly beat Syria to 161st place, in this year’s table. Other countries that were considered amongst the most violent and unstable were Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan and, less frequently cited, Russia. Several of these countries were also characterised by high levels of bloodshed within their territories.
The world has become a less peaceful place, according to the Institute for Economics and Peace. This year’s report reinforces a longer term pattern they have noted: since 2008 levels of peace have fallen by 5 per cent.
Their findings are not altogether bleak. While the number and intensity of internal conflicts has risen in recent years, hostilities between states have fallen.
Overall, they found that 110 states have become less peaceful, and that 48 have become more so.
-With The Independent input
